If scratch building isn't your thing then Nautilus Models just released a USS Batfish conversion kit for the Revell Gato. You can see it here: http://nautilusmodels.com/Gato/72Gato.htm. It includes a resin conning tower kit, guns, photo-etch, and a wooden deck. Their MBT flood templates are listed further down on the page.

If at all possible, I would encourage you to attend the SubRon5 r/c sub fun run in Georgetown, Texas the weekend of June 2-3. You can get a good look at the r/c side of submarine modelling and there will be extensive discussion of the Revell Gato kit. For more information you can visit our website: http://www.warfish.com/subron5/snf2007.html. Or contact me directly: paul@warfish.com.

Springer414,
Welcome aboard! Paul is right, go to the fun run and chat with the people that have already walked the path your on now. You think your excited now just wait till you see what others have done! I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Here is a link to a valuable resource on submarines to get you started.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08414.htmThis board is also a great place to get help and swap ideas, all you have to do is ask. There are a lot of talented people here and at Subpirates who are willing to help.
Don

Don EvansSCM# 2733

Put your heart into it, well done is better than well said... Ben Franklin

All, very good advise. Follow up on as much as possible.
But, no one asked an important question, when was your father on her? This is important, since some these boats had some pretty radical changes, over the years. You don't want W.W.II configuration if she was a Guppy, when he was on her.
Mike K.

I appreciate your replys, and have checked out some of the links already, and am seriously thinking about ordering the deck gun nautilus models. I don't think I can spring for the whole conversion kit, that's more than I paid for the model! I'll hafta use the pictures and get by as best as I can.

I'm also seriously considering attending the SubRon5 next month in Georgetown, I didn't know they had one of those. Thanx for the invite and the dates!

Dad joined the crew of Springer at Mare Island, sometime between launch and commissioning, then served on all 3 of her WWII patrols.

She reached Pearl in Jan '45, and left Guam on her first patrol in Feb '45. She sank 4 ships, all patrol/anti-sub vessels, and plucked 9 B-29 crewmen from the waters off Tokyo Bay. She was attached to Mare Island Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet shortly after the war.

In 1960, she was refit and "lent" to the Armada de Chile as CNS Thomson (SS-22), and sold for scrap in 1972.

Well, got home from work yesterday(16may07), and there she was, sittin on the front porch. No one was home to accept her cause the UPS tracking page said she was being delivered on the 17th.

Stayed up till 0100 reading the instructions, and have spent an inordinate amount of time today (don't tell my boss) collecting pictures of Balao class boats' conning towers off the internet.

Also noticed that in addition to differences in periscope shears, and lookout stations, etc....

The Gato has limber holes (I think is the name) in one row, which stop before reaching the conning tower, while the Balao pictures show two rows forward, with the top row running the length of the hull. That oughta be fun!

Anywho, time to get started. I'm sure I'll be on here from time to time with any questions I have. Thanx guys.

Last edited by Springer414 on Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The first thing you need to do is determine what year in the boats life do you want to capture. The only time fleet submarines looked the same, depending on class, was the day they were commissioned, and sometimes not even then. Their appearance when new also depended on what year they were built as war-time experience would show up as modifications to the designs. The Balao Class was an attempt to sum up all of the modifications made piecemeal to the Gatos (besides a thicker pressure hull).

Individual Fleet submarines, either Tambor, Gato, Balao, or Tench Class, became, over time, as unique in appearance as fingerprints. Commanding Officers had considerable latitude to make changes to improve a boats performance. Limber holes is one good example. Early in the war EB designed boats had single lines of limber holes while Portsmouth designed boats had multiple lines. The other shipyards building submarines used either EB or Portsmouth designs as they were the lead yards. Manitowoc followed EB designs and Mare Island used Portsmouth designs. But adding more limber holes was one of the first modifications and there was no specific layout. Each boat added them differently.

The Gato family is one of the best examples of the evolution of modifications to their sails. A boat built in '41 or '42 had its sail area completely enclosed to protect the topside crew from inclement weather. However, all of that metal created two problems; the boats had very visible silhouette; and they trapped air and caused dive times to be relatively slow. So COs started removing metal from the top area around the periscope sheers. Then they removed metal aft of the bridge and this area became a gun platform. In '42 permission was granted to remove the enclosed helm/steering station from forward of the bridge and it too became a gun platform. A venture was added on the top of the front sail to deflect wind and waves coming up and over the forward edge of the sail in order to try to minimize the amount of white-water the OOD and lookouts were subjected to. Eventually the forward and side portions of the sail were removed. The three major beam structures supporting the periscopes and lookout platform stood out. By 1944-45 the culmination of these changes resulted in the characteristic wartime openwork structure which also became known as the “Covered Wagon” look and is unique to the Gato.

Variations in the placement of the SJ, SD, and later SS radar antennas occurred. Other less obvious changes were made; one of the two lifeboats below the forward superstructure was removed; railings and radio antenna arrangements changed; flair pots were added in various positions; deck gun and ammo locker arrangements were different. The list could go on and on.

The bottom line is 1) pick a boat, 2) pick a year, and 3) do your research. Depending on the kit you start with you may end up adding or removing various items to be faithful to the rendering. But this is what I like about doing Fleet Submarines.

Good luck,

Rick Nelson

Qualified in Submarines 1965
SCM #2583

"D..n the pressure, Six-Zero feet!"
"Most men would rather die than think, Most of them do!" - Bertrand Russell
"Boomers hide with Pride"

I'm not extactic about the results. This was my first adventure with a Dremel tool, the linber holes look like the amature I am. I continue to futz with them.

The conning tower ain't quite right. The fore gun deck is lower than the aft, this is incorrect for Springer (and most Balao boats). Also, the conning tower is wider at the base, wrong; and the aft gun deck is still a smidge too long, even tho I cut some of it out.